Reviews

Like a Bolano without the fire underneath it. While the prose is cool and the aloof storytelling is modern and fresh, there is nothing here that burns to be told. I don't believe Wolff really has anything to tell me I desperately need to know.

taywls's review against another edition

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slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

lene_kretzsch's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

emilia__d's review against another edition

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slow-paced

1.0

jesskb's review against another edition

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dark reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

rizzle's review against another edition

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3.0

There's a lot to like about this book. There are many beautiful sentences (example: "Only my fathers have all been mayfly dads, the kind that are here one day and gone after three days at most.") that just stick, particularly since this is also a translation. The theme also has huge potential and the story seems like an interesting one to tell.

But this book doesn't go far enough. Maybe I'm getting sick of books that are half short anecdote, loosely tied stories and half observations of a person/event from afar. The lack of emotion and intensity exists because the main plot characters aren't the storytellers (similar, I think to other books like [b:My Name Is Lucy Barton|25893709|My Name Is Lucy Barton|Elizabeth Strout|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1450653428s/25893709.jpg|45584499], [b:The Vegetarian|25489025|The Vegetarian|Han Kang|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1478196580s/25489025.jpg|18449744], [b:Outline|21400742|Outline|Rachel Cusk|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1403832251s/21400742.jpg|40698498]). I don't like this style; it doesn't commit enough and isn't really that engaging.

Found via The Morning News' Tournament of Books 2017 Longlist.

ashleighm11's review against another edition

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4.0

I'd call this an interesting book, told in a very unique way. It probably isn't for everyone, but I absolutely loved it. The prose is beautiful, the story kept me interested too. For me though, I think it would have benefited from a one-sitting read opposed to spreading it over a week!

A full review can be found over on my blog

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